Russian missile attack on Ukrainian convoy hours before Putin's annexation ceremony

Ukraine's regional governor said a Russian missile slammed on a convoy of vehicles in southern Ukraine on Friday, killing a number of civilians, hours ahead of President Vladimir Putin's annexation ceremony.

What happened: A missile attacked a convoy that was assembling in a car park near Zaporizhzhia city to carry people and supplies into Russian-occupied territory, according to a report from Ukraine.

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So far, 23 dead and 28 wounded. Regional Governor Oleksandr Starukh wrote on his Telegram channel.

The Ukrainians were defenseless when the occupiers struck. This is another terrorist attack by a terrorist country. The Reuters report stated that the vehicles were packed with the occupants' belongings, blankets, and suitcases.

This came hours ahead of Putin's official signing ceremony in the Kremlin Palace on Friday to annex four more areas of Ukraine.

Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said Putin would preside over a treaty signing on the entry of new territories into the Russian Federation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his Thursday evening address that it can still be stopped. But to stop it, we have to stop that person in Russia who wants war more than life.